March 17, 2008
Got a tough week ahead. Trying to finish the May issue (goes out the door Thursday) and a book cover painting. Sent the tight rough off this morning, but had email delivery problems. Got some cryptic return saying ("Delivery failure: over quota"). Man, I hate this stuff.

Although on the other hand, I'm doing a quick, down and dirty Classic Gunfight for this coming issue (May), in order to concentrate on the 24-page Mickey Free excerpt going in the following issue. When I settled on Brazen Bill Brazelton as a likely poach, I mean fight, I literally took all my art and copy out of my 1999 book Bad Men. Unfortunately, all of the info on his demise isn't in the book (I only included the Cliff Notes version). I tried to remember where I filed all of my Brazelton notes. I also tried to remember who my go to contact in Tucson was (Neil Carmony?). Should I call him, find the stuff, go down to Guidon Books in Scottsdale and buy the appropriate book, bring it home, take notes, cull narrative? That would be my old M.O.

Instead, I Googled "Bill Brazelton Outlaw" and got all of the above info in 3.5 seconds—and here's the coolest part—it was free. As a researcher I say "Bravo!" As a publisher I say, "Ouch!"

You Always Like Mama Best
"Mr. BBB, I just checked out the Tenth Cav Sentry painting. I agree with Huffines and Murphy. It has to be one of your all time best. Keep it up kid. You're almost as good as your mom was."
—Daniel James Patterson

A Peek Inside The Top Secret Project
As you probably could have guessed, the guy who found Freddy Remington's waterlogged sketchbook wants to sell it. He is convinced it's worth millions and is typical of a kind of scalawag we run into from time to time here at the magazine. They think they are going to get rich quick and they want me to provide the authentification so they can have clear sailing to the bank. In other words, this guy with the waterlogged sketchbook is a first class weasel.

Three names I am considering for him:

• Richard "Dick" Wahd

• C. Mahn

• Billy Skammer

By the way, for inspiration, here's his mug shot:



And, here's his college girlfriend, Amber Glowe:



"As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied! This isn't greed, though it might be appetite."
—Lwrence Calcagno